Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango, CO and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $3,013 in Durango, CO, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durango, CO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

145

Cost of Living Index in Durango, CO
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Durango, CO Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Durango, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,013

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durango, CO and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Durango, CO and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,013 in Durango, CO versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Durango, CO $3,013
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,117 in Durango, CO versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Durango, CO $4,117
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,221 in Durango, CO versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Durango, CO $5,221
San Jose $4,054

Living in Durango, CO is roughly 43% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durango, CO 123% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$12.37 ₡5,563

20.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.7 $59.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-4.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 $8.13

$11.71 ₡5,264

-30.57%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$4.54 ₡2,040

5.51%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.75 ₡1,238

6.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.86 ₡837

31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$3.35 ₡1,505

74.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.32 ₡1,944

58.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.36 ₡1,061

-61.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.07 ₡1,379

7.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.51 ₡1,128

29.08%

Eggs

$4.83 $4.83

$3.53 ₡1,585

36.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$10.54 ₡4,738

13.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 $9.72

$10.57 ₡4,754

-8.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$13.92 ₡6,261

-20.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$5.20 ₡2,338

-16.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.65 ₡740

-13.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$4.89 ₡2,198

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.84 ₡1,728

34.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$3.91 ₡1,757

-20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$3.76 ₡1,692

-10.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.12 ₡504

80.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.22 ₡1,447

-10.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.88 $10.88

$6.02 ₡2,706

80.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$19.84 ₡8,919

-79.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.81 ₡1,264

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.65 ₡1,643

-3.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.92 $29.92

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-54.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.26 ₡1,018

73.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.78 ₡799

20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.08 $35.08

$7.90 ₡3,551

344.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.50 ₡673

-44.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K $29.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-11.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.0K $25.0K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-40.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$160 $160

$93.2 ₡41.9K

71.94%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$52.3 $52.3

$36.13 ₡16.2K

44.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.87 $18.87

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-72.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 $11.89

$7.67 ₡3,449

55.02%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,344 $1,344

$972 ₡436.9K

38.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

23.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 $53.9

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-23.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 $42.79

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-24.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$129 ₡57.8K

-19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$131 ₡58.8K

-8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,355 $2,355

$1,170 ₡525.9K

101.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,885 $1,885

$943 ₡424.1K

99.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,431 $3,431

$1,984 ₡892.0K

72.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,754 $2,754

$1,400 ₡629.5K

96.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 $4,960

$2,681 ₡1.2M

84.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,885 $4,885

$2,037 ₡915.8K

139.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,720 $4,720

$987 ₡443.6K

378.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

8.62

-26.22%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Durango, CO: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Durango, CO

$1.9K 62.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 50% $942

Groceries & Markets

Durango, CO

$351 11.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durango, CO

$281 9.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 32.4% $91

Eating Out

Durango, CO

$265 8.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 12.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Durango, CO

$144 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 20.8% $30

Getting Around

Durango, CO

$45 * 1.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 80.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Durango, CO

$43 1.4%

San Jose

$84 4% 97.6% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,355 in Durango, CO and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durango, CO pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Durango, CO vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $403 per month, with Durango, CO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durango, CO

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

1 h ahead of Durango, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,071

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durango, CO San Jose 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Durango, CO
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Durango, CO vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Durango, CO is about 4.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,355 in Durango, CO versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Durango, CO runs roughly 54% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,344 in Durango, CO versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $3,013 in Durango, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Durango, CO. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Durango, CO on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.